Synergistic effect of a bamboo-like Bi2S3 covered Sm2O3 nanocomposite (Bi2S3-Sm2O3) for enhanced alkaline OER.

The availability of hydrogen energy from water splitting through the electrocatalytic route is strongly dependent on the efficiency, durability, and cost of the electrocatalysts. Herein, a novel Bi2S3-covered Sm2O3 (Bi2S3-Sm2O3) nanocomposite electrocatalyst was developed by a hydrothermal route for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The electrochemical properties were studied in 1.00 mol KOH solution after coating the target material on the stainless-steel substrate (SS). Physical analysis via XRD, FTIR, IV, TEM/EDX, and XPS revealed that the Bi2S3-Sm2O3 composite possesses metallic surface states, thereby displaying unconventional electron dynamics and purity of phases. The Bi2S3-Sm2O3 composite shows outstanding OER activity with a low overpotential of 197 mV and a Tafel slope of 74 mV dec-1 at a 10 mA cm-2 current density as compared to pure Bi2S3 and Sm2O3. Meanwhile, the composite catalyst retains high stability even after 100 h of the chronoamperometry test. Thus, this work unveils a new avenue for the speedy flow of electrons, which is attributed to the synergetic effect between Bi2S3 and Sm2O3, as well as enriched interfacial defects, which exhibit greater oxygen adsorption capability with improved electronic assemblies in the active interfacial region. In addition, the introduced porous structure in core-shell Bi2S3-Sm2O3 provides extraordinary electrical properties. Thus, this article offers a realistic framework for electrochemical energy generation.

Boosted charge separation via Ce2S3 over dual Z-scheme ZnO-Ce2S3-MnO2 core double-shell nanocomposite for the degradation of diverse dye pollutants.

Herein, core double-shell direct dual Z-scheme ZnO-Ce2S3-MnO2 nanocomposite was synthesized via a hydrothermal route along with pure ZnO, Ce2S3, MnO2, and characterized by numerous characterization tools for application in synthetic dyes degradation. The XRD, Raman, and FTIR analyses have confirmed the nanocomposite formation. TEM images exhibited the core double-shell morphology with an average particle diameter of 81 nm and stacking of ZnO, Ce2S3, and MnO2. EDX confirmed the existence of desired elements in the grown composition. The varied oxidation states, presence of defects, and fast charge transfer were also revealed from XPS, PL, and EIS. The ZnO-Ce2S3-MnO2 nanocomposite has an optical energy bandgap of 2.84 eV, capable of decomposing harmful dyes with excellent efficiency, 99.81% MB, 97.62% MO, 88.5% MR, and 58.9% EY in 40 min sunlight exposure. The effect of several operating parameters is also observed and obtained results showed the optimal catalyst dose was 20 mg, pH of 8, and dye concentration of 10 ppm. The scavenger's experiment suggests that •O2- and •OH are the main active radicals in the photodegradation reaction which is also evident in the dual Z-scheme formation. The MnO2 and ZnO layers covered the Ce2S3 (core) and dual Z-scheme formation allows rapid kinetics of redox reaction and provides plenteous channels for transfer of photo-generated charge carriers during photocatalysis. Thus, core double-shell direct dual Z-scheme photocatalysts having inorganic components could be an excellent choice for photocatalysis at the industrial level, particularly for water purification.

Fabrication of fullerene-supported La2O3-C60 nanocomposites: dual-functional materials for photocatalysis and supercapacitor electrodes.

Nowadays, water pollution and energy crises worldwide force researchers to develop multi-functional and highly efficient nanomaterials. In this scenario, the present work reports a dual-functional La2O3-C60 nanocomposite fabricated by a simple solution method. The grown nanomaterial worked as an efficient photocatalyst and proficient electrode material for supercapacitors. The physical and electrochemical properties were studied by state-of-the-art techniques. XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the formation of the La2O3-C60 nanocomposite with TEM nano-graphs, and EDX mapping exhibits the loading of C60 on La2O3 particles. XPS confirmed the presence of varying oxidation states of La3+/La2+. The electrochemical capacitive properties were tested by CV, EIS, GCD, ECSA, and LSV, which indicated that the La2O3-C60 nanocomposite can be effectively used as an electrode material for durable and efficient supercapacitors. The photocatalytic test using methylene blue (MB) dye revealed the complete photodegradation of the MB dye under UV light irradiation after 30 min by a La2O3-C60 catalyst with a reusability up to 7 cycles. The lower energy bandgap, presence of deep-level emissions, and lower recombination rate of photoinduced charge carriers in the La2O3-C60 nanocomposite than those of bare La2O3 are responsible for enhanced photocatalytic activity with low-power UV irradiation. The fabrication of multi-functional and highly efficient electrode materials and photocatalysts such as La2O3-C60 nanocomposites is beneficial for the energy industry and environmental remediation applications.

Dual Z-scheme core-shell PANI-CeO2-Fe2O3-NiO heterostructured nanocomposite for dyes remediation under sunlight and bacterial disinfection.

Nowadays, environmental pollution due to discharge of organic pollutants from food, textile, and pharmaceutical industries into clean water and development of contagious diseases due to pathogenic organisms provide impetus to material researcher to fabricate novel design for efficient photocatalyst and antimicrobial agents. In this regard, designing a core-shell heterojunction catalyst based on metal oxides is considered an auspicious approach. In present study, combating the problems of singular oxides, core-shell PANI-CeO2-Fe2O3-NiO nanocomposite (PCFN) and CeO2-Fe2O3-NiO nanocomposite (CFN) was synthesized through sol-gel and oxidative polymerization route with cetyletrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant. The XRD, FTIR, and Raman confirmed the formation of nanocomposites with core-shell morphology composed of PANI (shell) and oxides (Core) in PCFN with a particle size of 52 nm (TEM). Surprisingly, PCFN has lower band gap, e-/h+ recombination, and larger charge transfer character than CFN. The decomposition test using MB and MO dyes showed that PCFN degraded 99%, 98%, while CFN degraded only 73% and 54%, respectively, under 50 min sunlight illumination. The reusability was assessed up to 7th cycle for PCFN. The influence of operational parameters (catalyst dose, dye concentration, pH) was tested for PCFN. Further, the antimicrobial action against S. aureus (gram + ve), E. coli (gram -ve) were also tested. The supreme performance of PCFN has been credited to heterostructure dual Z-scheme formation and core-shell morphology supported with PANI, which suppresses the e-/h+ recombination process by promoting their separation. The present finding indicated that the PCFN is a promising modifier for bacterial disinfection and acts as a superb photocatalyst through core-shell formation with PANI support.